A Search into the Ḥadīth, " Backbiting is more Severe than Adultery"

The ḥadīth، “backbiting is more severe than adultery” (al-ghaybatu ashaddu min al-zinā)، quoted from the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.)، by four of his companions: Abū Dhar al-Ghifārī، Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī، Jābir b. ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī، and Anas b. al-Mālik is reported in the Shī‘ī and Sunnī sources – except for the Kutub al-‘Arba‘a and Ṣiḥāḥ al-Sitta. While analyzing and explaining the text of the ḥadīth، this article has tried to figure out whether or not the authenticity of the issuance of this ḥadīth of the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.) can be verified through sanad (chain of transmission) and rijāl (scholars of ḥadīth) criteria. And if the answer is negative، what factors have caused its issuance. As for the text of ḥadīth، the important questions are: What is the reason for the severity of backbiting sin comparing adultery? Why should the person who has backbitten ask forgiveness from the person whom he has backbitten in order to be pardoned? That is because، if asking for forgiveness is done orally and face-to-face، then there is the possibility of giving rise to some disturbances such as losing one’s reputation or disputes and clashes. On the other hand، this process for forgiving backbiting has not been mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān and it is incompatible with other traditions that regard asking for God’s pardon (istighfār) as merely sufficient.